The Wilms' tumor suppressor gene, WT1, encodes a transcription factor of critical importance in early kidney development. This project will examine regulation of the human WT1 gene, using DNase I hypersensitive sites as a starting point to identify cis regulatory DNA sequences and the corresponding transcriptional regulatory proteins that bind to them and are most important for WT1 expression in kidney development. This analytical approach is well recognized in developmental biology and allows antecedent transcriptional events to be uncovered. Such studies may also shed light on embryonic kidney-, kidney epithelial-, and/or podocyte-specific gene expression, and thereby suggest alternative treatments, such as gnee therapy, for acute and chronic glomerular disease.